Favorite Apple?

[3113]

http://www.altapassorchard.com/apples_img/kinglucius_small1.jpg It's apple season, so let's talk APPLES. Rosy red ones and golden delicious ones and sour green ones....

This time of year I'm always sad that I don't really live in a part of the country which really specializes in apple orchards. I only really get the types that the market wants to sell me. Admittedly, they do have an impressive variety and some are pretty good...

...BUT, I remember well a few years back when some friends of mine snuck in a bag of amazing apples from somewhere in the midwest (they had to sneak them in because, well, no fruit over state lines!), and I made an Apple Pandowdy that was out of this world.

That taught me that there really was a difference between the market apples I was being offered and the apples you could get elsewhere. Granny Smith apples never gave me any sort of pie that good.

So. Favorite Apples? For eating? Pie baking? Favorite Apple recipes? Let's have them while the apples are at the height of their season.

Oh, and my favorite eating apple:

Arkansas Black
http://www.aaronscanna-amaryllis.com/apple/images/3.jpg

They have one of the shortest spans of any apple, coming late and staying barely a month or so--and they're hard to find, but I adore them. The skin so dark in red it's almost black--not too sweet but not tart either, and with the crispest crunch of any apple I've ever eaten.

 

[rgraham666]

My iMac.

Oh wait! The eating kind!

Macintoshes.

 

[cloudy]

Granny Smith, all the way.

 

[3113]

Just for your Rob:

http://www.foresight.org/Updates/Update31/AppleLogo.gif

And everyone should take note at how wonderfully this subject and it's images goes with my AV

 

[cloudy]

Just for your Rob:

http://www.foresight.org/Updates/Update31/AppleLogo.gif

And everyone should take note at how wonderfully this subject and it's images goes with my AV

Shouldn't you be using the witch from Snow White?

 

[3113]

Shouldn't you be using the witch from Snow White?

Well, yes, but the Witch of the West does magic some apple trees in the movie, if you recall. And frankly, Snow White's witch is so much more interesting and fantastic as the Queen....

http://www.beingood.com/images/posters/Snow%20White%20Wicked%20Queen.jpg

Isn't she beautiful?

 

[cloudy]

Well, yes, but the Witch of the West does magic some apple trees in the movie, if you recall. And frankly, Snow White's witch is so much more interesting and fantastic as the Queen....

http://www.beingood.com/images/posters/Snow%20White%20Wicked%20Queen.jpg

Isn't she beautiful?

I always thought she was prettier than Snow White, to be honest, but that's just me.

(SW is just a tad too virginal)

 

[3113]

I always thought she was prettier than Snow White, to be honest, but that's just me.

Agreed! I think the mirror had it in for her. If she'd just worked on her low self-esteem problem, stopped needing the reassurance of a mirror as to her beauty, all would have been fine....

 

[Explaura]

mmm

In Ashland where I used to live there is an old overgrown orchard on the side of the highway a few miles ouside of town. It is owned by the city, and to get in you have to pull over on the shoulder and find a hole in the backberries, but inside.. ohhhh. Inside there are maybe 50 or so apple and pear trees, and wild roses and chamomile and mint in the spring and blackberries. And bunnies live there and sometimes we saw deer. I have no idea what kind of apples they are, but they are AMAZING they are pinkish greenish outside and they are medium sweet and pretty small and taste a little bit like roses. Me and my friends used to go get bags and bags of them.. Noone picks them at all. We made and canned applesause, and also made hard apple/pear cider, and pies. ahh. We also used to go up the mountain too and get elderberries as much as we could deal with. I couldn't do it last year because I don't have a car to get there with.. And I was busy. And now its on the other side of the state. But it was sooo cool. I really miss the gathering. It doesn't quite feel like fall unless I've made jam or applesauce or preserved something. Ah well. Next year..

 

[3113]

It doesn't quite feel like fall unless I've made jam or applesauce or preserved something. Ah well. Next year..

Care to share a favorite recipe?

 

[Guest]

 

[Explaura]

my applesauce recipe is = Take as many apples as you have. Cut the skin off and the yucky parts out. Put them in a large pot barely covered with water. Boil, then cover and simmer until they fall apart. (if they are really dry or firm this may require a food processor after about an hour or so). Then add sugar and lemon until it tastes good! If they apples are really flavorful, you may not need lemon. And cinnimon if you like it.

One of my favorite jam recipes involves blackberries and rhubarb and sugar and a bit of water. Simmer until it pretty much turns into goo. Add more sugar if its not sweet enough. Jam is harder because you need to add something to make it set up when it is cool. Rhubarb works, and so do apples, especially little sour apples or crabapples. You can use the store bought pectin stuff, but it means you need to have a specific sugar/pectin ratio which is sometimes too sweet for me. However, if it doesn't work out you then have syrup suitable for the best pancakes ever.

If you are playing with elderberries, you more or less need to strain the juice from most of them and just use that, or mix with other berries because about half of them is seed and that is not so good, as I discovered by way of an unfortunately crunchy pie.

I also do like finding and using actual recipes but trying them out is half the fun so I usually don't end up useing them more than once. Also I'm disorganized.

 

[arienette]

my applesauce recipe is = Take as many apples as you have. Cut the skin off and the yucky parts out. Put them in a large pot barely covered with water. Boil, then cover and simmer until they fall apart. (if they are really dry or firm this may require a food processor after about an hour or so). Then add sugar and lemon until it tastes good! If they apples are really flavorful, you may not need lemon. And cinnimon if you like it.

One of my favorite jam recipes involves blackberries and rhubarb and sugar and a bit of water. Simmer until it pretty much turns into goo. Add more sugar if its not sweet enough. Jam is harder because you need to add something to make it set up when it is cool. Rhubarb works, and so do apples, especially little sour apples or crabapples. You can use the store bought pectin stuff, but it means you need to have a specific sugar/pectin ratio which is sometimes too sweet for me. However, if it doesn't work out you then have syrup suitable for the best pancakes ever.

If you are playing with elderberries, you more or less need to strain the juice from most of them and just use that, or mix with other berries because about half of them is seed and that is not so good, as I discovered by way of an unfortunately crunchy pie.

I also do like finding and using actual recipes but trying them out is half the fun so I usually don't end up useing them more than once. Also I'm disorganized.

Ooooh, applesauce recipe. Thank youu.

I love Granny Smith apples, always have.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cloudy
I always thought she was prettier than Snow White, to be honest, but that's just me.

Agreed! I think the mirror had it in for her. If she'd just worked on her low self-esteem problem, stopped needing the reassurance of a mirror as to her beauty, all would have been fine....

Maybe the mirror got tired of giving the same answer every day to the same question, and decided to say something else. I might have done the same thing if I had been it.

To get back to the question at hand, I eat Fuji apples and bake Granny Smith. I think the GS are way too sour to eat by themselves, but maybe I just get poor quality ones. I mean, how can you tell if they are ripe?

 

[Ness73]

I love Pink Ladies to eat - you can always be sure you are going to get a crisp, sweet apple. I hate it when you get a great looking apple and it turns out to be floury.

 

[Antfarmer77]

MacIntosh

 

[rachlou]

English Cox to eat, 'cos i'm ENGLISH!
And they are lovely, small and sweet (just like me)

Baking apples (think thats what they are called?) to cook with - NOT sweet but tart taste for sauces and pies, just add sugar...

Hate Granny Smiths, much too sour.

 

[slyc_willie]

I have this memory of my youth, growing up in Germany (when it was known as West Germany), in this little town called Zweibrucken. Somewhere near my home there was an orchard, and I and my friends would jump the fence and pluck what we called 'crab apples' from the trees.

I am not sure if the monicker is correct, but I guess it does not matter. We would eat them by the dozen, and take more home in our pockets. Unfailingly, we would pay for our thieving with a serious case of the runs, but that never stopped us from going back for more. Damn, those apples were sweet!

Curiously enough, I haven't had more than a dozen apples since, and I left Deutschlund more than sixteen years ago.

 

[matriarch]

My personal favourite English apples are Worcester Pearmain and Discovery.

http://www.eastwoodgardencentre.co.uk/images/worcespear.jpg
http://www.orangepippin.com/images/varietyimages/small/discovery.jpg

Discovery is one of the most popular English early apples. It is grown commercially on a small scale in the UK, because unlike almost all other early apple varieties it has a reasonable shelf-life - perhaps a week or so. It is quite widely available in the UK in late August and early September.

Discovery is a bit like Beaujolais Noveau - its appeal is entirely down to being fresh and new. Neither does the flavour stand much comparison with later season varieties. However, it is a change from imported apples when it comes into season, and nice when served slightly chilled from the fridge. As you might expect, the flavour is acidic rather than sweet and has little depth to it. Interestingly, just like Beaujolais, Discovery can have a hint of strawberry flavour, although this is very variable. The colours are a fresh yellow-green, usually with dark red patches where the sun has caught it.

For cooking, I ONLY use the good old Bramley. Large, bright green, unusual shapes, and sour as hell, but they cook to a beautiful mush if left long enough, but will also keep their shape if cooked in slices in a tart. Perfect for Apple sauce or pies and tarts.

http://www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk/images/DetailFruit/Fruits-AppleBushBramleySeedling.jpg

Some facts:

Apples originated in the Middle East more than 4000 years ago; fruit and vines have been grown in the UK since the Roman occupation, with specially cultivated apple varieties spreading across Europe to France, arriving in England at around the time of the Norman conquest in 1066. The demise of rural areas and apple growing, commencing in the 13th century with the Black Death, the War of the Roses and repeated droughts, was reversed by Henry VIII who instructed his fruiterer, Richard Harris, to establish the first large scale orchards at Teynham, Kent, scouring the known world for the best varieties.

The Celtic word for apple, abhall, persists in many place-names, and some towns and cities have particular associations with fruit trees * Norwich was described in Tudor times as 'either a city in an orchard or an orchard in a city'.

For the next 300 years, most produce for the luxury market was sold in London. Old English, recorded in 1204, was the main dessert apple in England well into the 18th century, being grown alongside its culinary counterpart Costard, the salesman for the crop being known as a costermonger. The Victorian explorers found new varieties from all over the world and brought them to Brogdale, in Kent, so developing its orchards and gardens.

Brogdale houses the National Fruit Collection - more than 4000 varieties - with over 30 acres of orchards, and the largest collection of apple varieties in the world (more than 2100 * dessert, culinary and cider). One of the earliest-flowering dessert apples at Brogdale is Vista, which is in bloom from about May 2nd; Idared, Discovery, Jonagold and Cox's Orange Pippin follow about a week later. The latest flowering varieties include Worcester Pearmain and Gala. The maturation dates for fruit span more than 100 days. Cox's Orange Pippin accounts for over 50% of the UK acreage of dessert apples. It has an unknown parentage but is thought to be an 18th century seedling, which originated in Colnbrook, Berkshire, related to Ribston Pippin, raised from seed by the brewer Richard Cox, at Knaresborough Hall in Yorkshire.

Wow, isn't it amazing what you find out on the internet??

 

[matriarch]

I have this memory of my youth, growing up in Germany (when it was known as West Germany), in this little town called Zweibrucken. Somewhere near my home there was an orchard, and I and my friends would jump the fence and pluck what we called 'crab apples' from the trees.

I am not sure if the monicker is correct, but I guess it does not matter. We would eat them by the dozen, and take more home in our pockets. Unfailingly, we would pay for our thieving with a serious case of the runs, but that never stopped us from going back for more. Damn, those apples were sweet!

Curiously enough, I haven't had more than a dozen apples since, and I left Deutschlund more than sixteen years ago.

If they were sweet, they most definitely were NOT crab apples. They are as hard and sour as hell, and only good for making a very sharp jelly, which I personally love at breakfast in place of marmalade. Added to which, crab apples are tiny, not much bigger than large cherries.

 

[oggbashan]

Overdosed on apples

Last weekend I visited two apple events.

The first was at the Brogdale Horticultural Trust which has the UK's national Apple collection. Here

They had apple, apple juice and cider (note for US readers, in the UK cider is alcoholic and often has MORE alcohol than beer) tasting and hundreds of apple varieties on sale, most of which are never seen in supermarkets or even greengrocers.

Here is a list of the apple varieties beginning with the letter 'L':

La Nationale, Lady Henniker, Lady Hopetown, Lady Isabel, Lady of the Lake, Lady of the Wemyss, Lady Williams, Lamb Abbey Pearmain (I had to get sheep in this post somehow), Lancashire Pippin, Lane's Prince Albert, Lappio, Lawyer Nutmeg, Laxton's Pearmain, Laxton's Pioneer, Laxton's Royalty, Laxton's Superb, Laxton's Triumph, Leather Coat Russett, Leeder's Perfection, Lemoen, Lemoen de Sonnaville, Lemon Pippin, Levering Limbertwig, Liberty, Libovicka Renata, Lily Boxall, Limoncella, Long Bider, Lord Burghley, Lord Derby, Lord Hindlip, Lovalka Renata, Lynn's Pippin.

Imagine asking for some of them in Walmart.

We sampled everything and then walked a mile around the plantations of apple trees. We had tea and a pork and apple sauce baguette. More apple than pork but apples picked and cooked that day.

The following day we went about 30 miles away to a commercial farm's apple day. Unfortunately it rained hard all day. Inside a barn was apple tasting, Morris Dancing (don't get me started on that again) a craft fair full of things I would never want and a tea bar. The tea bar sold tea with apple cake, that was made on the spot and still warm. We bought apple pies, apple turnovers and after a tasting in the pouring rain, several bottles of apple juice. My favourite for apple JUICE is Worcester Pearmain. I had tried the other juices on offer, with difficulty because the rain was diluting the juice.

We have eaten the pies and turnovers. The apple juice and cider will take a little longer.

Jealous? There are advantages to living in Kent.

Og

 

[matriarch]

Favourite apple recipes?

There are really only two:

Apple Crumble

Peel, core and slice 3 large Bramley apples, and cook gently in enough water to simply stop the pan burning - Bramleys release a lot of juice in their cooking.

When cooked (around 4 or 5 minutes - longer if you want it much softer), place in a deep pie dish, mix into the apples brown sugar and cinnamon and raisins or sultanas to taste, and put to one side.

Meanwhile, rub together in a mixing bowl, 2 cups of self-raising (all purpose in States), and a cup of margerine or butter or a mix of both, until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Then, again to taste, add brown sugar (for crunch and sweetness), oats, and crumbled nuts (last time I used pecans, but walnuts or hazelnuts will do. Almonds would give a whole different taste. I must try it.).

Sprinkle the crumble topping over the cooked apple mixture, rough up the final surface, then cook at Gas Mark 7, 220Cm 425F, for around 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Serve hot, with fresh vanilla custard or double cream.

Enjoy.

 

[matriarch]

Apple Cinnamon cake

12 oz self-raising flour
4 oz margerine
ground cinnamon
4 oz brown sugar
2 eggs
milk
2 large apples of choice


Rub together the flour and margerine, stir in the sugar and cinnamon - as much as you wish.

Peel, core and dice the apples, stir the pieces into the dry mixture.

Beat the two eggs and stir into the mix. The mixture should be firm, but not dry. If it seems too dry to your taste, add a small amount of milk. The mixture should NOT be sloppy or runny, and for the 'dropping' test, should barely make it off the spoon.

This mixture can either be spooned into bun tins (muffin tins in USA, they are bigger so will make fewer cakes), or put the whole mixture into a small loaf tin.

Bake at Gas Mk. 4, 180C, 350F if buns, but allow more time if in the loaf tin.

Do not expect the mixture to smooth out, like a sponge or fairy cakes. The final result will still have a rough surface.

The cake doesn't keep well, so eat up and enjoy.

 

[Dhalgren150]

Pink Lady, or Honey Crisp.

Both have a nice flavor when baked.

Ginger awakens it.

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

Am i the only one that likes Fujis?